1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pipe connecting member of plastics material for pressurized fluid lines. The pipe connecting member has sleeve portions and a middle portion extending between and connecting the sleeve portions. The pipes to be connected are received by the sleeve portions in a tightly sealed manner. The middle portion has an outer surface which is circular in cross-section.
2. Description of the Prior Art
DE-B-2,223,529 discloses pipe connecting members of the above-described type whose middle portion and whose transitions from the middle portions to the sleeve portions are especially reinforced at the outer surfaces thereof. The reinforcement arranged on the outer circumference means that in certain areas of the pipe connecting member more material is provided than is necessary for the required strength of the pipe connecting member. This results in substantial inhomogeneities of the injection material which, in turn, negatively influences the strength of the pipe connecting member. The pipe connecting members according to the above-mentioned German publication do not have reinforcements only in the critical areas, so that more material than is absolutely necessary is used in manufacturing these connecting members.
It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide pipe connecting members of the above-described type as injection molded articles in which the necessary strength is obtained by using as little material as possible, while all areas of the pipe connecting member are as uniformly stressed as possible under load. The outer surface of the pipe connecting member is to have a smooth shape and the pipe connecting member must have a structure suitable for injection molding in order to achieve a homogeneous material distribution in the pipe connecting member.